Scams in Australia are nothing new, but having someone actively come to your door and try to scam you out of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars is pretty unusual. But that’s exactly what’s happening in some parts of Australia.
The Tax Debt Scam
This week, two men dressed in blue ‘Federal Police’ jackets and carrying an EFTPOS machine approached the house of an Adelaide man in Salisbury Downs, 30 minutes after he received an automated message on his phone claiming that he owed a tax debt and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
The men then identified themselves as Australian Federal Police Officers and held out an EFTPOS machine and told the victim to pay the tax debt there and then. Suspecting a scam, the Adelaide man refused and when asked the two fraudsters to provide ID, they took off.
The Courier Delivery Scam
Stories of similar scams have been circulating on social media. One story explains how one woman received a mysterious gift of flowers and a bottle of wine – without a card or sender – delivered to her door by what looked to be an official courier.
However, the courier insisted there was a fee to be paid for the delivery of alcohol as proof of handing the goods over to an adult of legal age, and this fee could only be paid via credit or debit card via the EFTPOS machine he held in his hand. The victim was unaware of the scam taking place, and paid the fee, only to find thousands of dollars worth of withdrawals and charges on the credit card days later.
The fake courier had copied their credit card details with the rigged EFTPOS reader.
The Australia Post Package Delivery Scam
Australia Post is also warning customers of similar scams that are being sent out via sms or email by fraudsters posing as Australia Post, requesting payment or additional personal details for package deliveries.
It’s an unusually bold move for scammers to go doorknocking for money, but as we come into the holiday season and online purchases start to skyrocket, it’s important to be aware of these dodgy tax, courier ad online delivery scams that require ‘payment’ for delivery fees.
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